Yet another newbie "help me make up my mind" threa

[DerekNC]

The GS500E is also easy to work on like the Ninja, so take your pick from the top 2. The japanese bikes have a very good reputation for reliability and I can personally vouch for the GS500E. I've had mine for almost 2 years and have done nothing but normal maintance. When I first got the bike I went through the carbs, valve adjustment, etc. After that it was worry free riding. It's also air cooled so no need to worry about draining coolant for more involved repairs should they pop up. They also have a reputation for racking up high miles with very little maintenance. Downside to the GS500E is the 4000 mile valve adjustment interval. A lot of people including myself will go 2 or 3 times this amount with no problems. It all depends on how hard you ride the bike.